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Since we had four events and five changes for our wedding, point8cam and I decided that we would just rent out two (for the bersanding songket set and the bertandang side) or I'll end up with a bunch of over-the-top dresses that I would not wear nor keep in my wardrobe. It doesn't help that now we live in a studio apartment so space is something that is pretty sacred at the moment until we move to a duplex next year. I'm pretty sure I've been to at least two wedding expos and a bunch of rental houses but nothing actually captured my attention. I was at the point of giving up until a friend of ours, also a wedding planner, told us about a rental retailer that does custom dresses as well as renting out bridal and evening gowns.

All lost hope was revived when I paid Lagenda a visit, and settled for a pair of gold songket set (bride & groom) for my bersanding dinner, and also a very nice long lace gown in silver and soft yellow. The prices are reasonable for the quality compared to most places I've been. Trust me, I'm very picky when it comes to wearing dresses, what more when it's my wedding dress.

The service was great, and they were really attentive to my needs, even when I was at borderline being a bridezilla. All in all, if you're willing to spend a little more than the average to get better quality, even just renting a dress than buying a new one this is definitely the place to go to. Plus, they actually do custom designs for certain customers. I saw a brand new dress being made for a super petite customer, as I can only imagine her difficulty in finding the right dress. If you're getting married or you know anyone who is getting married and looking to rent a dress, try check out Lagenda. I've recommended them to my circle for excellent array of dresses and service (and this is not even an advertorial or sponsored). Details of Lagenda will be at the bottom of this post. Good luck!

As this post is published, I'm already halfway packing for my early morning flight to Shanghai, China to meet and interview Leighton Meester as the new face of Biotherm. It is such an honour to be flown all the way across the sea to meet yet another A-class celebrity and be in the presence of world media, together with our own. Biotherm, a renowned skincare brand has chosen Leighton Meester, well-known for as Blair Waldorf in the hit series Gossip Girls as their latest global brand ambassador.

Patrick Kullenberg, Biotherm's International Brand Manager said that Leighton Meester is the face of a generation - a young icon with natural talent, energy and beauty and I couldn't agree more with their choice. The brand, according to Meester is constantly evolving to modern times. Meester will debut as Biotherm's new global ambassadress in the next face care campaigns in early 2014, including the iconic Aquasource.

I've switched my skincare set to the Aquasource to see what the hype is about, and I was amazed by it. Having sensitive skin, especially in Malaysia's hot and humid weather does not allow me to switch brands rapidly or I will suffer from breakouts, dull skin and extreme combination skin effect. However, Biotherm's Aquasource skincare set had little to no bad effect on my skin. In fact, my skin is more supple, hydrated and feels fresh all day long. My makeup lasted longer than usual as my skin does not have extreme reaction to change in temperature and weather. If you have sensitive skin, I would definitely recommend the Aquasource range. Go to a Biotherm counter to find out more and get professional advice.

Many of you would have come across pink ribbon, Movember and all other quirky names for good causes in the recent years but how many of you have heard about the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC)?

What is the White Ribbon Campaign

Well, with the rise of violence against women lately, there are also increasing number of individuals who speak up against it and it's mostly coming from women themselves. Women tend to help each other more as they might have been victims themselves and are acting according to their own experience. However, a movement by women alone would not be enough to create a difference. This is where the White Ribbon Campaign comes in - the world's largest movement of MEN and BOYS working to end violence against women and girls, promote gender equity, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity.

Violence - Physical and Mental harm to women

Women often see their men as their pillar of strength, guardian and companion - be it their father, brother, lover and best friend. So when men acts violently against women, it changes the whole perception for the individual - physically and mentally. Violence is not only restricted to physical harm, but also mental abuse. Common cases of domestic/spousal abuse when a person in an intimate relationship tries to dominate the other using fear, guilt, shame and intimidation. It also includes sexual abuse - in any case where you're forced to participate in unwanted, unsafe or degrading sexual activity, even by your own partner.

If you're in an abusive relationship, please talk to people and get help. Read more about abuse and abusive relationships here.

History of the White Ribbon Campaign

In 1961, the Mirabal sister, who were political activists, were murdered under the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Fourteen women were massacred by an anti-feminist in 1989 at Polytechnic Montreal. Michael Kaufman, and a couple of individuals wanted to remind people of the events that took place and that was how the White Ribbon Campaign started in 1991. United Nations then designation November 25th as the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women" in 1999 to commemorate the murder of the Mirabal sisters. Today, the White Ribbon Campaign is celebrated and spread to over 60 countries around the world and it's up to you now to educate your circle about it.

What is the purpose of the White Ribbon Campaign?

Well, generally the campaign is to generate awareness of violence against women in Malaysia. However, the campaign is to encourage MEN to break their silence and proactively get involved to help women they love and care about. These gentlemen are also to promote and end to sexism and any behaviour that degrades women - telling other men how their behaviour might contribute to the problem.

In my honest opinon, the root of this starts from home - parents should teach their sons on how to treat a lady, and fathers are the best figure to set an example. I'm lucky enough to be with a man whose father is a good example on how he treats the mother but not everyone comes from a non-abusive household. Therefore, it's up to the individuals on how they should act around women but of course, if you feel like you have been abusive, or have been abused, you need to get help and that is where AWAM (All Women's Action Society) comes in. They have a phone line for people to speak to about their problems:

Telenita Helpline (Counselling / Legal Information): 03 7877 0224

They are also actively involved in campaigns such as the White Ribbon Campaign, launched in 2003. They initiated the formation of MAN.V (Men's Action Network Against Violence) as the first men's group to work towards elimination of violence against women in Malaysia. As part of the campaign, AWAM will also be organising educational activities, such as the White Ribbon Workshop on 23 November 2013.

AWAM is also organizing a Run and Walk on December 8th 2013, where many men will come together to don the 'white ribbon' and pledge against violence towards women.

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I'm a blogger and social media influencer from Malaysia. I started blogging in 2006, but I only took it seriously around 2009 and since then I've tried many things - retail marketing, social media managing, fashion buying, TV hosting and now I'm pretty much happy just creating content for my clients through my blog, my video production company (with my partner), traveling, cooking up a storm in my kitchen and taking care of my cat. I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog and if you have rad ideas you want to work with, email me haniehidayah@gmail.com